Mattis

Meaning & origin

Mattis is a Scandinavian name that entered the U.S. naming pool relatively recently, first recorded in 2003. Its peak popularity came in 2018, when it reached its highest rank, but since then its usage has been falling. In the most recent data from 2025, Mattis ranked 5,861 with a frequency of 1 in 113,872 births. The name remains uncommon across all states, with no state-level data showing concentrations. As a modern borrowing from Nordic naming traditions, Mattis offers a crisp, two-syllable alternative to the more common Matthew or Matthias. Its inventory of nicknames like Matte and Mats gives it flexibility for everyday use. The trajectory since 2018 suggests a slow decline, but the name retains a distinctiveness that may appeal to parents seeking a short, strong boy's name with historical roots in Sweden and Norway.

Mattis is a Swedish and Norwegian variant of Matthias, which itself is a form of Matthew, derived from the Hebrew name Mattityahu, meaning 'gift of God.' The name has been used in Scandinavia for centuries, often as a given name in its own right rather than a nickname. In Sweden, Mattis has been recorded since the 19th century and gained some popularity as a modern, streamlined alternative to the longer traditional form.